Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Fated by Rebecca Zanetti

Fated by Rebecca ZanettiCara Paulsen does not give up easily. A scientist and a single mother, she's used to fighting for what she wants, keeping a cool head, and doing whatever it takes to protect her daughter Janie. But "whatever it takes" has never before included a shotgun wedding to a dangerous-looking stranger with an attitude problem.Sure, the mysterious Talen says he's there to protect Cara and Janie. He also says that he's a three-hundred-year-old vampire. Of course, the way he touches her, Cara might actually believe he's had that long to practice...After finishing the available Maverick Montana books by Rebecca Zanetti, I looked into her other series and decided to read the Dark Protectors. I began with book 1 (which I always prefer to do although I am not currently as particular about that as I have been in the past) which was Fated. After finishing it in almost one sitting (I fell asleep but continued reading immediately upon waking) I can say that I really liked it. I didn't love it as much as the Maverick Montana series but there is so much potential here that I think later titles in this series might get the same amount of love.This book begins with Cara not really knowing what is going on. Her daughter is worried because the bad men are coming, a VERY large man has just broken into her house claiming he is there to protect Cara and Janie, Janie seems very comfortable following the big man and Cara kind of gets swept up in it all striving the whole time to protect Janie from any danger. I loved that I found out what was happening along with Cara--it really strengthened my connection to her. Cara finds herself caught up in the whirlwind that is Talen Karys and his family as they are quickly married (the reason makes sense) and she is installed in their safe house which is really a series of underground rooms in a mountainside somewhere in Colorado. This book is the ideal example of how to set up an entire series without taking away too much time from the main couple and their HEA. We meet plenty of sequel-bait characters, several of which I can't wait to read more about but the focus always returned (and quickly) to Cara and Talen and their story. She has trust issues and an ability to sense people's emotions and where-abouts while Talen is an immensely strong and capable warrior. There is quite a bit of violence and some of it is graphic and yet it never crossed the line of too much for me. There is a lot going on in this book as the future of the good guys and their mates are definitely in imminent danger from the bad guys (who are pretty creepy--and I have a feeling they will only get worse--goody!). You know that future titles are going to get a lot darker before it is all over and I can only cross my fingers that these books are in at the library so I can go on a binge-read. The timing could be better as my job is gearing up to go through a busy phase, but I know I will be carving out every spare minute to return to this fascinating world created by Zanetti!Reading ChallengesI Love Library BooksWhat an AnimalI borrowed this book from my local public library.